The Project “Sofa Value Chain”, a compass for the sofas and armchairs sector

The proposal is a candidate for the Compasso d’Oro 2026 together with the other 343 submissions. More than one hundred sofas and armchairs selected by the platform for an archive that is accessible and intuitive to use

10 November 2025

Puglia is among the world’s leading regions for the production of living-room furniture, despite the recent fluctuating market crises. The Apulian upholstered furniture district is one of the territory’s most important excellences, geographically located close to the Murgia, between the provinces of Bari and Matera.

These are the master craftsmen of upholstery and woodworking who, in the 1950s, for a local market, promoted production of sofas and armchairs.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the introduction of industrial processes, standardized products and high-quality materials, such as leather, together with internationally inspired design, led to a worldwide success. The boom came between the 1990s and 2000s, with over 80% of production destined for export. Export declined in the 2010s. In 2024, -12%. Despite the challenges posed by economic and trade changes, the sector remains a pillar of the regional economy.

To gain ground and remain competitive, companies are increasingly called upon to invest in Made in Italy design and innovation. In this direction lies the project “Sofa Value Chain”, a compass and guidance tool for the sector. In the form of an interactive platform, it collects and provides a systematic reading of Made in Italy upholstered products, capable of supporting designers and companies in exploring sustainable solutions for new sector products and circular economy.

The quality of the Poliba design proposal for functional innovation was selected by ADI Design Index (Association for Industrial Design) for the 2025 edition. It is among the 344 best projects in contemporary Italian design that showcase the quality, research and variety of the country’s productive and cultural system.

The presentation of the projects selected by the special jury took place in Milan, at the ADI Design Museum headquarters, on 15 October. This selection will allow the 344 proposals to take part in the national competition, the Compasso d’Oro 2026 Award (June), the most prestigious recognition of the productive and design quality of goods, services, processes and systems in Italian design.

Traces of history. The project, full name, “Sofa Value Chain. Interactive tool for the critical taxonomy of Made in Italy upholstered products”, was developed within the research activities carried out for MICS – Made in Italy Circolare e Sostenibile, an extended partnership involving the Politecnico di Bari and funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU under the PNRR. The research concerned Spoke 7 of MICS, Innovative and consumer-oriented business models for resilient and circular supply chains (coordinator Prof. Ilaria Giannoccaro).

To this end, the Poliba research group for the project “7.5, Cultural Value Chains”, composed of Annalisa Di Roma, coordinator, Alessandra Scarcelli, Anna Christiana Maiorano, and Piera Losciale, has since 2023 conducted an extensive analysis of the world of upholstered products that characterizes the production of one of the most important manufacturing districts in the region, starting from those most representative and successful models that have defined the history of Made in Italy design over the last 80 years. The collection of a highly diverse body of information has made it possible to connect historical, technical and sociocultural aspects.

The data range from technical specifications relating to dimensions, materials, manufacturing processes, and the mechanisms that enable modularity and transformability, to the technologies and comfort systems implemented, as well as design drawings and historical archive, production, and commercial images, which tell the story of a culture of living in the midst of transformation. 

The idea of the project was to systematize this data through the creation of a digital platform, an archive that is accessible and easy to use intuitively, with the aim of making the information available and enabling the study and analysis of those elements that have made this product category, upholstered furniture, one of the most recognized symbols of Made in Italy, present in the most important museums around the world.

The quality of the materials, the attention to detail, technical innovation, the pursuit of comfort, as well as undeniable aesthetic values, are only some of the aspects that emerge from the comparison of the more than one hundred sofas and armchairs that the platform makes it possible to identify and appreciate. It simplifies communication along the supply chain, optimizes processes, and supports designers and companies in exploring sustainable and circular solutions.

The article The Project “Sofa Value Chain”, a compass for the sofas and armchairs sector comes from Poliba Chronicle.